How Kevin Durant is helping Jabari Smith Jr. unlock his offensive game
Despite Houston The Rockets’ recent problems with closing out games, Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. led his team to a 126-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Durant (30 points) and Smith Jr. combined for 51 points on 21-of-36 shooting, including 16 rebounds and seven assists, as Smith Jr. secured a double-double against the Pacers.
After the win, Durant revealed how he was helping Smith Jr. unlock his offenseaccording to Rockets sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson.
“We’re going to need that moving forward. Me and Barry talked a lot about making the shots we want to make, not letting the defense dictate what we’re going to do, and using our length, using our size to get shots,” Durant said. “Barry was just hard to stop at that position, knocking down those threes, doing everything for us. So we’re going to need that from him.”
Kevin Durant on Jabari Smith Jr.:
“Me and Barry talked a lot about making the shots we want to get, not letting the defense dictate what we’re going to do out there, using our length and size to get shots . . .”
Really cool that Barry is learning from KD. pic.tvitter.com/D8BjrLpNok
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) December 30, 2025
The Rockets have won three straight games.
2025-12-30 07:31:00
